MILLVILLE - City government, with core neighborhoods beset by regular shooting incidents, is calling on Cumberland County to pay the cost of a three-year lease of a high-tech gunfire location system that promises to deliver deterrence and a chance to apprehend perpetrators.

The City Commission voted 4-0 Tuesday night to make the request to the Board of Freeholders. Despite their yes votes, Mayor Michael Santiago and Commissioner David Ennis made it clear they would prefer not to make the request, or at least not now. Their remarks bought criticism and pointed questions from audience members.

The three-year cost of leasing the ShotSpotter system roughly would be at least $665,000, based on previous quotes from the company marketing it. The cost mostly is based on the size of the area the scalable system is meant to cover.

ShotSpotter works by “listening” for loud noises, filtering what it hears via a computer program to isolate probable gunshots, and quickly sending location and other information to patrol vehicles.

Millville tried to land a federal grant to cover a one-year system trial but its application was rejected this summer. The first year of use would be the most expensive, because it involves installation and training costs.

The funding request to the county is not the kind of decision that freeholders like to take up weeks out from an election. Besides the actual cost, there are political factors locally and at the county level that make it touchy to support or to oppose.

The idea for the resolution came from Commissioner Joseph Sooy, who said officials of the Democratic and Republican parties had contacted him to ask that he not introduce the resolution. Sooy, a Republican, clarified that the contacts did not come from current freeholders but he did not identify the officials.

Sooy sent some sharp remarks downrange at county government in general and at two former Millville commissioners now seated as Democratic freeholders. He did not name the two freeholders, but Freeholder Director Joseph Derella and Freeholder James Quinn are the only former city officials on that board.

“The thought occurred to me about this and I asked myself, ‘What did Millville actually get from the county for the last couple years?’” Sooy said. “And (it is) the vo-tech, which everybody got, and the paving of Cedar Street. And I couldn’t think of anything else.

“So it was odd that, with the introduction of this resolution, it kind of added some bi-partisanship — at least above the local level,” he said. “Because I got calls from both the Democrats and the Republicans not to do this. ’Would I please pull this resolution off?’ And my answer was, ‘No.’”

Sooy said one objection, “by someone,” was about putting the cost of a project benefiting Millville on other communities. His response was that Millville will send a total of about $54.5 million in taxes to the county from 2016 through 2018.

“The county can afford $250,000 a year or $750,000 for three years,” Sooy said. “Now, every other (municipality) in the county pays significantly less than Millville, with the exception of our sister city Vineland, which is going to pay this year $44,532,874.75. Every other (municipality) is below $5 million with the exception of Upper Deerfield, which pays $6 million.

“So I’m not asking other (municipalities) in the county to pay for Millville’s problem,” he said. “I’m asking … our county freeholders, two of which reside in Millville and in my opinion helped in creating this mess, but I’m asking them to return the money to Millville to pay for this.”

Sooy said covering the ShotSpotter system cost with a local property tax increase would “cripple us in the many other areas we need, including infrastructure, police communications equipment, and adding several members to the police force.”

There has been discussion on the commission, especially after an unsuccessful grant application this year to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, about paying for ShotSpotter itself if a grant from some source can’t be obtained in 2017.

Santiago, a Democrat, said he disagrees with the idea of tapping the county for money. The mayor is director of the Public Safety Department. A retired city police officer, he is an undersheriff at the county Sheriff’s Department.

“I think that this is our problem,” Santiago said. “I think that we should pull our pants up and deal with this situation, as the Public Safety director. I think we have a very competent Police Department. But I do agree with you that we do not have this money in the budget.

“My plan, and I believe you (Sooy) and I had a conversation about this, is I think we should bring in the city of Bridgeton, the city of Vineland,” he said. “This isn’t just a Millville problem. This is a county problem. So, maybe, we can gather all three municipalities and may not have to spend so much money. I’m just going to put it out there. But I think that might be something we should look into.”

After a question from Commissioner Lynne Porreca Compari, Santiago clarified that he envisioned the county’s three cities “contributing to a county program that we all could use through the 911 services.”

Sooy said he had considered the same idea of using the 911 system. However, he added that he then was surprised to learn that the existing 911 service first would need “millions and millions of dollars” in upgrades.

“We’ll talk about the communications,” Santiago said. “I’m a little bit lost on that, because I think each individual municipality would have their own connections to the 911 center, which we do now.”

Ennis said he was not against the resolution, and mentioned his own family’s experiences with crime locally.

“However, I’m not totally convinced that we, as a city, have done all that we can do to make sure that we make this city a safer place,” Ennis said. “And I’m listening to some of the mayor’s comments, and I’m inclined to agree with him that we need to at least allow the system that’s in place to come up with a solution.”

Ennis questioned whether the situation is a “county responsibility,” saying other municipalities also have serious crime issues. “And there are some parents in Vineland tonight, if they were here, they know what it’s like to bury their children from gunshots,” he said.

“Personally, I think we need to spend some time looking at this,” he said. “That’s where I’m at with it. I’m totally convinced that we need to do a little bit more ourselves before dumping this on the county for any other reason.”

Santiago added that ShotSpotter is a “great idea” that is working in other communities. He agrees with Ennis that the city needs to take more actions itself.

“I’m not too confident the county would do it,” the mayor said.

At the meeting’s later public comment period, Third Ward resident Angeline Broomall said the city should pay for the system itself if necessary.

“I can’t afford to lose a child,” she said. “But I can afford a few extra bucks.”

Center City resident Mary Messeck, who participates in a crime watch program, said the gunfire location system would address the problems officers have deciding where to respond.

“I don’t see what the problem is,” resident Betty Monteleone said. “And if you say, ‘We’re not doing enough. You think we can do more.' Why haven’t you done more?”

“Why are you saying we haven’t done more?” Santiago asked her.

“You said you felt we could do more,” she answered. “Both of you. `We haven’t done what we should do.’ What could you guys have done? What are you not doing that you think you could do?”

Santiago said the city has been hiring more police officers, aided by money found in the budget by Sooy. The department also has fielded new units, he said.

“I agree with that but that’s not what this issue is about,” Monteleone said. “If you let the county, or go to the county and ask for things, it’s $250,000, you could get some more police officers to patrol the streets and you could do more. Or you could get cameras to back up these ShotSpotters. So you’re acting like, ‘Oh, well, there’s something we can do.’ Well, do it.”

Ennis answered that he has been active for years before being a commissioner. “I have done all that I know how to do,” he said.